User Testing Exam Participant Recruitment and Screening 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a key characteristic of a good user testing participant?
- They represent the actual target audience for the product (Correct answer)
- They have extensive experience with usability testing
- They work in the UX or design field
- They are available at the lowest cost
Correct answer: They represent the actual target audience for the product
Valid usability findings depend on recruiting participants who reflect the real users of the product in demographics, behavior, and experience level.
Question 2: What is 'purposive sampling' in user research recruitment?
- Selecting participants based on specific characteristics relevant to the research goals (Correct answer)
- Recruiting the first available volunteers
- Randomly selecting from a general population database
- Choosing participants based solely on geographic proximity
Correct answer: Selecting participants based on specific characteristics relevant to the research goals
Purposive sampling deliberately selects participants who possess the characteristics most relevant to the research questions.
Question 3: Why should existing employees or stakeholders typically be excluded from usability tests?
- They are too familiar with the product and cannot represent naive users (Correct answer)
- They are legally not allowed to participate
- They tend to complete tasks too slowly
- They refuse to provide honest feedback
Correct answer: They are too familiar with the product and cannot represent naive users
Employees and stakeholders have insider knowledge that skews results, making them unrepresentative of typical users.
Question 4: What is a 'hard quota' in participant recruitment?
- A required minimum or maximum number of participants with a specific characteristic (Correct answer)
- The total budget allocated for participant incentives
- The deadline for completing all recruitment
- The maximum session duration allowed
Correct answer: A required minimum or maximum number of participants with a specific characteristic
A hard quota ensures a mandatory mix of participant characteristics (e.g., at least 3 participants over 50) to achieve representative coverage.
Question 5: What information should a usability test screener NOT ask to remain legally compliant in the US?
- Age, race, or disability status in a discriminatory way (Correct answer)
- Job title or industry
- Frequency of product use
- Device type preference
Correct answer: Age, race, or disability status in a discriminatory way
Screeners must not use protected characteristics like age, race, or disability to discriminate illegally; they may only be collected for demographic balance with proper disclosure.
Question 6: What is an incentive in the context of user research participant recruitment?
- Compensation provided to participants for their time and effort (Correct answer)
- A reward given to the research team for finding participants quickly
- A bonus paid to participants who complete all tasks successfully
- A discount offered to participants on the product being tested
Correct answer: Compensation provided to participants for their time and effort
Incentives are compensation — such as cash, gift cards, or vouchers — given to participants to thank them for their time and encourage participation.
User Testing Exam Participant Recruitment and Screening 1
What is a key characteristic of a good user testing participant?